The Kiss
by alwaysslowburning
Summary: Read Pre-Kiss first. After the play, things got heated at the Gaang's dinner table. Now the table is cleared and everyone has gone to their respective tents - or, well, not everyone. Zutara. Part two of a three part series.


**Zuko**

Zuko isn't sure if his stomach hurts because of the overcooked ostrich-goose or if it's because he feels like he's going to vomit if Katara doesn't find him tonight. He's still angry with himself for feeling desperate, but he's accepted that anger isn't going to change the way he feels about her. He wished he had some idea of what time it is so he knew how long he'd been sitting in his tent and waiting for her. He wants to smack himself - he has no idea if she's even coming. Some part of him just decided that she would. How could she not?

He thinks back to the way she looked at him when he offered to help her with the dishes.

Aang was being drilled by Toph on how to create the perfect sized clay cup. Every one he created was too big or too small. Zuko figured Toph really couldn't have cared less about replacing the cup he'd broken, and he was thankful for her distraction.

Suki and Sokka were fighting each other over the last piece of sticky roll. Zuko didn't especially like it, as it was a little bland for his taste - he preferred spicy foods - but Suki was ready to fight to the death, as was evident from Sokka's black eye. Sokka looked closer to ripping her clothes off than ripping her hair out, Zuko mused, a little disturbed and a little jealous. _I would give anything to fight Katara for the last piece of sticky roll, bland or not. _

He covered his face with his soapy hands. What was wrong with him?

"Um, Zuko?" Katara said, and Zuko realized she'd been watching his inner battle with a slight smile on her face. Her eyes looked concerned, and Zuko blushed. He must have looked out of his mind.

"Sorry," Zuko said. The sound of his name on her lips… no, he wouldn't go there. He'd have to be more quiet if he wanted to help her with the dishes.

**Katara**

_What is going on with him?_ Katara wondered, but she already knew the answer. He kept sneaking peaks at her from the corner of his eye. At first it made her nervous. She thought she'd gotten soap or food on her face or something. She glanced at her reflection in the basin and realized her face was clear, if not a little flushed. Then he'd gone and slammed soap on his face in some strange fight with himself, and Katara said his name and he looked like he was going to explode.

_He wants me_, Katara realized suddenly, _for real. _

And she wanted bent the water from his hair, and he offered her a small smile as something of a peace offering. She was too nervous to make much of a smile back at him, and she'd hurried off to her tent.

Now she lay in her bed, bending the water from her pack into a circle above her head. Her hair was loose around her, and her arms and legs were bare in the fire nation skirt and cropped, sleeveless top. Sokka often changed into water tribe dress once they reached the tents, but Katara found herself leaving the fire nation dress on more and more often. Maybe it was because it was easier - she had a lot to do, after all, and changing was a waste of time. Maybe it was because of the heat. Maybe it was because she felt, well, sexy, in the red cloth. Or maybe… maybe it was because of the way she felt when she caught Zuko glancing at her bare stomach, or her legs when she walked past him.

Somehow, she knew he wanted her to go see him.

It seemed only natural. After all, it was he who had initiated this… whatever it was.

Katara pushed the water back into her pack and swung her legs over the side of her bed.

**Zuko**

The opening to Zuko's tent flies open, and then Katara is in his bedroom.

There is a determination in her eyes that he has only seen when she is bending. He grips the thin sheets on his bed.

Katara stands a few feet away from him. Now that she's there, they are both at a loss. What are they supposed to do now? Katara's eyes dart around his bedroom, noting the emptiness. He has nothing from home but a dagger beneath his pillow. Her entire body seems to slump and her eyes meet his unsteadily. Zuko feels guilty; it is he who has caused her this discomfort.

"Come here, Katara," he says, and he almost doesn't recognize his voice. It's rougher than usual. He is about to apologize, greet her more formally, when Katara begins walking toward his bed. He is wordless when she sits on the edge of his bed, crossing her legs and leaning toward him. He can see up her skirt, Zuko realizes, and his eyes shoot to her face. _She knows._

She wants this.

"I feel like we should talk about this," Zuko says, but Katara slides her hands forward so that one is on either side of his thighs. He grips the sheets more tightly, trying to steel himself against his desire for this water bender. _Her blue eyes are so vivid. They hold so much life._ His eyes move from her eyes to the slight curve of her nose, and then her lips, those perfect lips.

"I do too," Katara says, surprising him. Still, though, she leans closer to him. She kneels so she is towering above him and places her hands on his thighs. Zuko represses a shiver. "Why did you keep looking at me today?" Katara says.

"You're beautiful," Zuko blurts, and Katara smiles. There is something in her smile that tells him that she already knows she is beautiful, and that confidence sparks something inside of him.

"I want to get to know you better," Katara says. "We spent so much time fighting, and then so much time apologizing. I liked getting to know you when we went to search for the monster who killed my mother," Katara says, her voice low. As she speaks, she runs her nails down Zuko's thighs.

"I wish we could have gotten to know each other under better circumstances," Zuko says, and then his hand is cupping her face. He can feel her sudden intake of breath on his palm, and then the following shaky exhale.

"We can do that now," Katara says. She leans forward and places her hands in his dark hair. Her fingers massage his scalp. Zuko mirrors her movement with the hand not cupping her face. Slowly, his hands run through her long, loose curls. Katara makes a sound in her throat, and Zuko lets his nails drag slightly against her scalp.

The water tribe girl trembles.

Zuko does it again. Her eyes fly open and meet his.

He wants to drag this out as much as possible.

Zuko moves the hand on her face so that it's cupping her ear. His thumb slides downward, lightly caressing the skin of her jaw. Katara shivers. Zuko runs a finger down the shell of her ear. He wants her to picture his lips in place of his finger. He wants to kiss her everywhere, but he knows that the moment his lips touch hers it's all over. All logic will disappear.

The very thought makes him shiver, and Katara's eyes flutter closed. His breath is warm on her face, and she imagines that he is warm everywhere.

Zuko removes his hand from her hair and lets it slide slowly across her neck. His fingers dance lightly across her collarbones, and Katara smiles in response to the tickle. He smirks and lets his hands slide lower, just barely brushing her decolletage. She sucks in a breath, and Zuko wonders if this is the first time anyone has touched her so intimately. He is right hand joins his left, and his hands fan out across her chest, covering her breasts. Katara's hands fly to his hair, and Zuko wants to pleasure her, but he wants her to wait. He moves his hands and slides them down her thighs, and Katara glares at him.

Zuko laughs.

Katara's hands move up to Zuko's face. She tilts his face up so she can see his golden eyes, and then her thumb slides slowly across the destroyed skin of his scar. Zuko flinches and looks away, his eyes closed, not wanting to see the disgust in her eyes. He is surprised when he feels her lips press against his eyelid.

When he opens his eyes, he is embarrassed to find his vision misty until he realizes there are tears in her eyes as well.

He pulls Katara into his lap, and her legs wrap around his waist. His desperation fades as something more careful takes over. She feels so fragile in his arms. Zuko rests his head against her hair, and Katara plays with the hair at the nape of his neck. Her breathing is low and deep, almost as if she is asleep - but then her hands are up the front of his shirt.

The dam breaks, and his earlier desperation comes back full force.

**Katara**

Zuko's hand tangles in her hair as she rises up to meet him. His lips have not met hers yet, which is a slow torture. Instead they pepper kisses everywhere else - her hand, her cheek, her eyelids, her forehead, her neck. Katara feels sparks everywhere his lips, moist and soft, touch her. She shivers and wraps her legs more tightly around him. He groans softly into her neck, and Katara drags her nails through his hair and pulls his face to hers.

She's done with waiting.

His lips against hers taste of salt and water. She grips his hair more tightly and he gasps into her mouth. She inhales his breath, and his tongue moves into her mouth. Her tongue dances slowly with his, and she can feel her heartbeat picking up. Their tongues separate and then they are kissing slowly, sensually, and Katara is mortified when a moan escapes her mouth as Zuko palms her breast. He smiles against her mouth and goes to move his hand away, but Katara shakes her head and forces his hand back to her chest.

"You like that?" Zuko says into her mouth.

"Mm," Katara answers, and he squeezes a little harder. She gasps and their mouths separate, their lips touching slightly. The kiss melts into an exchanging of breath as he fondles her. All of her thoughts seem to have died out as his fingers swipe against her, pinching and pulling. Her hips begin to move, and she isn't sure what she's doing but she knows it feels better than anything she's ever experienced. Zuko grinds up into her, and Katara kisses him hard, her teeth gnashing against his. Her hands move around to his back, and her nails drag down against his pale skin. Zuko hisses into her mouth and pulls away from her.

His lips move downward as his hands slide under and up her tunic, resting on her stomach. His lips on her neck are more insistent this time, and Katara wonders if she'll end up bruised. She is surprised to find that she wants it, to be marked by him.

"Zuko?"

"Yeah?" Zuko says, his golden eyes meeting hers. His thumbs rub circles into her stomach, and Katara struggles to catch her breath.

"Would you like it if I kissed your neck?" Katara asks, and Zuko's eyes grow wide.

"You can try it," Zuko says, and Katara is curious. She dips her head and presses her lips to the place where his jaw meets his ear, and she is granted a long, low moan. Pleased, Katara begins to drag slow licks across the spot. Zuko grips her hips hard, and Katara's heart flutters. Still curious, Katara bites down gently on Zuko's earlobe.

Suddenly she is on her back on his bed, Zuko hovering above her. She breaths heavily at the sight - his hair brushes her cheeks, and she can feel his body heat.

"Kiss me?" Katara says, and Zuko's lips come down against hers.

Slower this time, he kisses her. First his lips meet her bottom lip, and then the top. His hands run down her sides slowly, and Katara trembles beneath him. His eyes meet hers, golden and heavy, and Katara's eyes fill with tears.

"What is it?" Zuko asks, his hand coming up to caress the damp curls at her hairline.

"Promise me this isn't the last time we'll do this," Katara says, and Zuko pulls her up so she's sitting in his lap again. His hands cup her face, and gently, so gently, he kisses her. It is the most chaste kiss he's given her all night, and the sweetness of it pulls more tears to her eyes.

"I promise, Katara."

This time it is Katara that pushes him downward, her hands linked with his above his head. She straddles him and leans down kissing him the way he kissed her - bottom lip, then top lip. Recalling the way he reacted to her teeth, Katara bites down on his bottom lip and pulls it toward her. Zuko's hands fly up to her hips and she grinds against him.

**Zuko**

_Holy, oh, Katara, Katara,_ Zuko thinks but doesn't say. The feeling of her warmth pressing against him is almost more than he can take. He has never wanted anyone more than he wants Katara. The girls he kissed in the past cannot compare to this girl, who takes what she wants and isn't afraid to ask questions. He'd never had a girl kiss his neck, had always written it off as something he was supposed to do for the girl, and he can't believe how much he was missing out on. And when she bit his lip, oh spirits.

Zuko flips them over, and they are a mass of heat and desire and pure need and if he doesn't have her that second he feels like he's going to burst. He can feel it, the heat building in him and threatening to consume him, and he imagines Katara feels it as well, whether she knows it or not. She is grinding up against him, abandoning all premise of proper behavior or desire to appear ladylike. They are just two people desperate to bring each other to the point of no return, and Zuko plans to do just that. He bites her lip, and this time it is she who moans so loudly that he has to cover her mouth with his palm. He kisses her slowly, his tongue sliding across her lips and moving with hers. His hands stay at her hips, though he is dying for them to move elsewhere.

"Zuko," Katara groans, and his golden eyes find hers.

"What is it, Katara?" Zuko murmurs into her neck.

"I need, I need," Katara moans into his neck, and Zuko pulls her thighs up and around his hips. She jerks against him.

"What do you need, Katara?" he asks. He thinks he has an idea, but he doesn't want to push her into anything she doesn't want. He needs to hear her say it, to tell him exactly what she wants.

"I need more, Zuko, this isn't, I need," Katara is a mess beneath him. Her hands come to fist in her hair, and her eyes are glistening, her lips swollen. He has never seen her look more beautiful.

"Tell me, Katara, you have to tell me," Zuko whispers, desperate to bring her what she needs.

"I need you, Zuko," Katara says, and Zuko feels like he just might die.

"Ka- Katara-"

"I don't know what I'm doing, Zuko, but you do, you can help me, I know you can, just please, I feel like, I'm going to die or explode or lose my mind," Katara cries, and Zuko feels guilty. He should have explained this to her.

"I'll help you, Katara," Zuko says, and he covers her cries with his mouth.


End file.
